The 91st and 92nd Rose Bowls

The Texas Longhorns had two very memorable consecutive Rose Bowl Visits in 2005 and 2006, and in this edition we will look back at these.

When you think about memorable Bowl games, the game in Pasadena on January 1, 2005, is right up there. The 2005 Rose Bowl Game was the 91st edition of the series and featured the Texas Longhorns playing against the Michigan Wolverines. Amazingly this was the first time Texas and Michigan had been opponents on the gridiron. This was also the first Grandaddy Bowl where a Big 10 team did not face an opponent from the Pacific coast region.
Head Coach Lloyd Carr brought his 10-2, 13th-ranked Wolverines into the fray facing the Mack Brown-led number 4, Longhorns, that sported a 10-1 ledger.
The scoring was fast and furious thoughout most of the contest. Texas got on the board when their talented QB Vince Young toted the pigskin 20 yards to pay dirt.
Michigan replied in the second quarter as receiver Braylon Edwards snagged a 39-yard pass from quarterback Chad Henne to tie the game at 7.
The Hornes fired right back on a David Thomas 11-yard pass from Young. Braylon Edwards soon after found open field, catching an 8-yard TD pass from Henne to make a tied score at the intermission break. The third quarter had Texas jump out again as Vince Young galloped 60 yards to the goal line. Not to be outdone, Wolverine Steve Breaston hauled in a 50-yard pass from Chad Henne to one again knot the score. Michigan, a bit later, took their first lead of the game on yet another Henne to Edwards scoring play, this time from 9 yards. A few minutes later, UM padded that score when Garrett Rivas knocked through a 44-yard field goal. The fourth quarter saw Texas mount its rally. Vince Young scored on a 10-yard run. This was followed by Michigan's Rivas, nailing a 32-yard field goal to put Michigan up 34-28. Vince Young gave Texas the lead when he sprinted to the end zone on a 23-yard run. Rivas put the Wolverines back on top with a 42-yard field goal. However, that left just enough time for Texas kicker Dusty Mangum to rattle the posts with a 37-yard field goal to provide Texas a 38 to 37 win over Michigan.

Horns put kick 02 Jan 2005, Sun The Orlando Sentinel (Orlando, Florida) Newspapers.com
Vince Young was selected as the offensive Player of the Game after this incredible performance. Michigan's LaMarr Woodley took home the Defensive Player honors.

The 92nd Rose Bowl provided the BCS National Championship Game on January 4, 2006. The Texas Longhorns of Mack Brown returned to Pasadena for the second year in a row, this time to face the undefeated USC Trojans of Pete Carroll. Both teams had impressive 12-0 records, and there was not much debate as to whether they were the country's top teams that year. This was the first college football game to feature two Heisman Trophy winners in the same starting lineup, as Southern Cal's quarterback Matt Leinart and running back Reggie Bush were the last two winners of the prestigious award.
The match-up was further intriguing as these two squads had the two longest winning streaks in major college football, Texas reeling off 19 victories in a row and USC having an impressive 34 straight wins. The Nation was on edge anticipating this fight card, but would the game match the hype? The short answer is that it would be an excellent experience for football fans. This might be the top Rose Bowl game and could be debated as the most fantastic college football game of all time!

Here is how the contest played out. In the first quarter running back LenDale White put USC up by seven with a 4 yard run a Mario Danelo kick. The Longhorns got off of the snide when David Pino booted a 46 yard field goal. UT tok the lead a bit later on the Selvin Young 12 yard run but the Pino kick failed. Texas scored yet another TD, this time it was Ramonce Taylor taking it to the house on a 30 yard romp. right before the half USC cut into the Texas lead as Mario Danelo nailed a 43 yard field goal and UT led at the intermission 16–10.
The third Quarter started off well for Southern Cal when thier bruising back LenDale White plowed forward for a 2 yard TD run and subsequent PAT kick conversion to put SC up by one. Vince Young helped Texas regain the lead on his 14 yard TD scamper. LenDale White followed that with another rushing touchdown, this time from 12 yards out to move USC ahead by one to close out the third.
In the Fourth Quarter Heisman winner Reggie Bush took off on a 26 yard run past the goal line chalk. David Pino's 34 yard field goal cut the USC to 5. Pete Carroll's bunch made it a two score game with less than 7 minutes remaining on the Dwayne Jarrett 22 yard pass from Matt Leinart. Texas rallied when Vince Young ran one in from 17 yards to set up an exciting finish.
This set up perhaps one of the most exciting last four minutes of a college game around. Texas' defense got them the ball back and they had time for one final drive. During the possession Texas faced third-and-12 and converted it for a first down at USC's 46-yard line after a completed pass for seven yards and a Trojans face-mask penalty. The rest of the way it was the Vince Young show as the burnt orange QB rushed once for seven yards sandwiched between two passes for 26 yards to seldom-used wide receiver Brian Carter, taking the ball to the USC 14-yard line! USC's defense stiffened and forced a fourth-and-five from the nine-yard line for the Longhorns. It was then time for the signature play of the game. Young accepted the shotgun snap and with his receivers covered, Young took off running towards the right sideline. Justin Blalock performed a pivotal block to let Young get in a footrace to the end zone. That score, Young's third rushing touchdown of the game, gave the Longhorns a one-point lead with 19 seconds left to play. Young successfully converted the two point play on another run into the end zone paint, giving his team a 41–38 lead. Leinart led a drive with just 16 seconds left and no timeouts to the Texas 43-yard line before time expired. Texas won the game and the title 41 to 38.

A Very Special thanks to information obtained from the following brilliant internet sites: On This Day Sports, the Sports Reference's family of website databases & Stathead.com.

Banner photo is courtesy of Wikimedia Commons of  ROSE BOWL FOOTBALL GAME, VIEW NORTHEAST, 1923 - Rose Bowl Stadium, from Positive Image Photographic Services.

The other photo above is also from Wikimedia Commons and is of the Rose Bowl construction in 1921.After crowds out-grew Pasadena's Tournament Park, architect Myron Hunt drew up plans for the construction of the Rose Bowl stadium in 1920. On January 1, 1923, USC beat Penn State, 14-3, in the first Rose Bowl game. The stadium was enlarged several times, with the south end completed in 1928, taken by an unknown.